Locul de vindecare
by Loyalty counts
Summary: A place where people look for healing themselves of everything that could ever set things wrong, or has set it wrong. Ren Tsuruga signed the contract, not knowing what would become of him, when his best friend—Rick—gave up his life to save him. Will he truly heal? A journey of how Ren slaved in Locul de vindecare,and falls in love with the most unexpected person. (AU) Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Locul de vindecare**

Ren Tsuruga opened his eyes what felt like an eternity. He was falling, and he had no idea why. No, not like mentally, he was literally falling.

He was staring off at the sky from where he must've been flung. It was darkness around him. He couldn't move his limbs due to the force of the air hitting his body. And then suddenly, he landed on something really soft. He looked around him, blank. His head was throbbing, voices colliding and piercing his brain. Ren knew it wasn't normal to fall from the sky.

However, he didn't need to think so much about it, the door was thrown open at the far end of the dark room. Light flooded the room, making Ren shut his eyes due to the brightness piercing his eyes.

"Koun Hizuri."

Ren stopped struggling, frozen.

"You are Koun, right? Sixteen years-old?"

Ren swallowed his own bile and finally adjusted his sight on the slight outline of the person. A deep voice was asking him questions he didn't want to answer. He was tall, blocking most of the light. but he wasn't blocking the dim light so much. After what felt like hours, the man sighed.

"We don't have all day, young man. If you wish to get your questions answered and get out of here, you must answer my questions," he said tiredly.

Ren gulped, and decided he can't very well stay here even if he wanted to not answer of that man's questions.

"Yes, I'm Koun Hizuri. But I don't use that name very often. I use Ren Tsuruga. And yes, I am sixteen."

The man didn't make a sound, but the room was suddenly lit with white light that shot the sensitive spots in his eyes.

"Good. I think now I can tell you the rules of _Locul de vindecare. _First of all, let me tell you why you are here. I'm sure that by now, your head must've become clear," he said.

He was right, Ren could think more clearly now. He remembered standing on the sidewalk while chasing some guy when his best friend Rick had sacrificed himself to save him. He remembered days of mourning and simply trying to erase himself from existence. That's when his parents proposed to have him healed. He remembered signing a paper and then blacking out.

And then waking up while falling.

"My name is Lory Takarada. I was the man who had come to seal the contract. You will be here as long as you need recovery to heal. And then you would be given a choice to either go back, or stay here as a fellow healer helping others heal. However, let me make this clear for you: this is not what you call a rehabilitation center. Here you will train, learn skills to survive, and finally be given situations that are quite similar to the incident that took place in your life. And not to forget," his eyes darkened just a little, "You cannot escape. This place is where you face your fears, learn to be brave and train to be strong against anything that comes in your way. You may take a long time healing, but this would make you into a better person, change every weakness you have into your strength. "

He stepped forward, and Ren was struck by how eccentric his appearance was, a contrast to the way he spoke about this place.

"And lastly, you will be partnered. Not now, but after a year or two. When you pass tests and do tasks we assign you. I won't assure you that this is going to be easy, but," his eyes softened, a small smile breaking through his uptight posture. He looked like a leader that knew everything but chose to give a chance to see if everything could be changed, "I will always support you."

With that said, Lory stepped back. Behind him, a few ladies came forward.

"You can change your appearance, your identity. But you cannot change it again and again. You can change it only three times. So choose wisely. The other things will be told to you by your instructor. His name is Yukihito Yashiro. Although he won't help you with your tasks, he may guide you through your journey."

With that said, he sauntered out of the room, leaving Ren even more confused and suffocated under the chests of the women who were attracted to his good looks. No one can blame him for having blonde hair and green eyes. He was incredibly handsome, but he didn't feel happy about it.

As he looked at the dyes and other things, he decided that he must start afresh.

With new looks.

**x-x-x**

Ren wandered behind the women who kept giggling and trying to call out to him. They were blushing, and adjusting their appearances, especially their shirts, pulling at it and tracing their chest portion as if to tempt him. But he wasn't fazed even in the least bit.

He reached a lobby, where two women sat, typing seriously while they spoke into the microphone attached to their ear all the way to their mouth.

"...yes...Yashiro is ready to receive Ren Tsuruga...yes he would be here any minute now," one lady said, whilst looking up.

Her light blue eyes met his and she excused herself from the phone.

"Are you Ren Tsuruga?"

Ren nodded, unable to speak. How did these people know his every move? Were they watching him?

"Go through door 20 and tap on the glass door three times. Your instructor will know that you have come. He will tell you how the system works."

Ren nodded, glancing at the doors to his right. There were at least 20 of them. Four colors kept rotating. Blue, red, white and black. He was given the black door, on which was written, _Melancholie__._

On the white, _Furie_.

On the Red, _Ura de Sine_; on the blue, _Vinovatie_

He guessed the white and the black ones, anger and sadness. Maybe he was wrong, but he had a feeling the doors were dividing according to the emotion that overruled other emotions. And the one that threatened to consume them whole. He sighed as he entered the door told to him. He looked for the glass door and again found two types of doors. Glass and Wood. He knocked the glass door three times. It was opened by a young man who bordered twenty.

This man, had brown hair that fell just above his cheekbone and he had hazel eyes, lighter than Ren's current brown eyes. He wore spectacles, and serious expression. He assessed Ren, then looked right in his eyes, "You must be Ren Tsuruga," he stated. Ren nodded, still trying to understand his surroundings.

"Follow me," he said.

Ren walked behind Yashiro, as he looked at the corridors. They reached near a door where Yashiro turned the knob and stepped inside, announcing his presence.

"This is our room. You come here only to sleep, that is in the night. The only day that is a holiday is Dominica; which is Sunday in english. You aren't allowed to your room unless you are seriously ill. I will remain your instructor till you start to stand on your own feet. Then you would be own your own, your room would be changed. Once you're healed, or so think you are, you can either become an instructor, an organizer or go back to wherever you came from. Although till you heal, you have no choice but to stay here, once you choose a profession here, you would be allowed to visit the world once every four months."

"Your activities will keep changing once you master them. If you master everything they give you, then will be put in situations you have encountered in your life but don't want to go through them again. If you react to them positively, then they would release you early. At the end of twelve months, Lory Takarada, the President of _Locul de vindecare, _will test you if the directors pass you. If he feels that you need to heal more, he will allow you to stay another year, doing another set of things. Although this wouldn't be something you would want to do all your life, I think it would help you tackle situations better than before. There are four groups, each group has its own color and title. You are in _Melancholie, _black group. It is for people who have gone through something that makes them sorrowful and unable to live with their grief."

"Ren, this place may seem crazy to you, but this is the place you need," he said softly, making Ren wonder why the people here spoke to nicely to him. He was a murderer, and he had no right to be treated so gently.

He spent the entire day sitting in his room as Yashiro went to submit his form and get the schedule for Ren. He hadn't even come out of his room, as Yashiro had suggested, to meet new people. He said it would have helped him get comfortable in this new place. But Ren didn't want to associate himself with anyone right now.

He put his head in his hands, the tears finally falling down his cheeks. His entire form shook, he could feel something bubbling inside, threatening to constrict him and break him.

Ren didn't have the will to do anything.

**x-x-x**

"Tsuruga! Stop stumbling over your pants! Get up and start climbing again!"

Ren grit his teeth and refused to obey him. This director was getting on his nerves. Yashiro told him that his first task was to train how to climb a mountain. Ren wondered how that had to do with healing. He tried, but the rocks weren't big enough to support his weight. He was taller than average and he was strongly built. But he wasn't that quick. He was reckless. His patience stretched only by a meter. It didn't take long to infuriate him.

After getting insulted for about five times for slipping down again, he decided he had enough. He got enough spanking later, ones that made him bellow in pain.

He had two more tasks that day, one was archery and the other was swimming which came naturally to him.

But it only made him more angry and dark. By the end of the day, Yashiro got a first aid kit to treat the injuries he got while he got spanked. He didn't say anything, to which Ren was very grateful. But he managed to comfort him by telling some stories of the people who did rock climbing as their first tasks.

Ren didn't smile or laugh, but it eased his foul mood somehow.

**x-x-x**

Over the few days, he realized he just had to master Rock climbing, swimming, archery, firing with a revolver. Ren dropped the revolver he tried to hold it. It reminded him of the times he would get scolded by Rick. And it made his hands tremble, he would quiver before he would fire at the glass in front of him.

By the end of each day, he would get spankings for disobeying in at least one task. He learnt to grind his teeth and bear the pain. Some days were better than other days, like they would spare him showing rare mercy. He was unaffected by all that.

Ren learned new things like driving a two wheeler, using a firearm, even though it didn't exactly make him feel comfortable. He still laid wide awake in the nights, cursing himself and replaying the scenes to remind himself that it had been his fault that it has happened.

He finally mastered all of them by the end of three months, being deadly accurate, fast and light.

By the end of the first year, he was called into the office.

Lory took one look at him, and shook his head.

"You haven't prepared enough. You aren't healed at all. All the things you were made to do, didn't have any effect on you."

Lory walked past him, suddenly stopping right behind him.

"I know all these things aren't things that usually what you'd expect. You don't get things easily. And you are here to survive in the cruel world out there. This is not truly a healing place."

Ren didn't react.

"This place is hell. Here you are tortured until you reach your breaking point."

Ren stumbled in his steps, he hadn't even moved in his spot! What the heck did he say?!

He swirled around, meeting the grim eyes of Lory. As if he knew what Ren had been going through. As if he knew exactly what went on in his mind.

"I'm just kidding!" Lory burst out laughing, making Ren scowl. Ren was hating this guy every passing minute now.

He wiped the tears in his eye and looked at Ren seriously, all humor wiped out of his face.

"Koun, I know you had a dark past. But you need to learn to let go. You need to overcome your melancholy. Until then," he put on his cowboy hat, and gave him a brief nod.

"You will stay here and master whatever task they give you. And I believe that once you master them all, you would approach the same situation you faced a year ago differently. I'm sure you would be able to face it without surrendering yourself to the darkness like you did before coming here."

He didn't say goodbye, nor did he make Ren feel any better.

If possible, he made him feel even worse.

**x-x-x**

"Bye Ren, I wish you luck. And I hope you get a good person. Instruct that person to be a better person," Yashiro said gripping his bag. Ren gave him a smile, grateful for his companion, who stayed loyal to him for almost three years. Ren had stopped brooding in front of people and managed to master everything they threw in his path. Lory didn't force him to do more tasks, instead offered him to be an instructor till he healed. Ren was reluctant, but after facing the incident identical to his traumatic one, he knew he hadn't exactly healed the way he should. And Lory knew that, although Ren had no idea how.

Nonetheless, Ren agreed to be an instructor and for the first time after so long, he felt something that had died when he succumbed to the darkness surrounding him, genuine curiosity.

He waited in the glass room, the same door he was sent to. He now knew why there was a glass door and a wood door in each room. The glass door was meant for people who didn't need an instructor because they weren't that traumatized by the incident. Ren quickly learnt the things around him. The Red door was for the people who lost themselves to their own evils. The blue door was for guilty, they weren't here to heal, but learn their lesson and realize what they had done. And the white door was for people who can't control their temper at all. If Ren wasn't grievious, maybe he would've belonged to that group.

But he didn't. He'd learnt to control his temper and his other emotions. He learnt to show fake smiles and display emotions that made people think he truly had healed. But he couldn't fool, Lory. Although he met him only thrice in his life, he hated him yet depended on him. Last year, he'd almost lashed out on him, but Lory didn't stop him. This year he'd punched the older man for even suggesting to sleep with a woman. He'd said that Ren needed a woman to cool off his head.

Anyway, on the top screen, the name of the person appeared.

"Be ready, here comes the person you have to guide."

Ren braced himself, as he heard the knock three times.

And then, he opened the door to the story he thought was similar to his. Only, there was a petite fat teenager, with large amber eyes and a ugly clothes.

"Are you Kyoko Mogami?"

_To be continued..._

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

**_Hello guys! This is gonna be a two shot fiction, because I don't have that much energy to write everything in one chapter. This had been going on in my mind for a long time, wondering in the night, till I fell asleep. _**

**_Finally when I thought I couldn't get it off my mind, I wrote it down. _**

**_I hope you guys like it. Please do leave a comment, favorite and follow. _**

**_Thank you!_**

**_Bye! _**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Here is the long awaited chapter, hope you enjoy it!**_

_**I was listening to the song, I'm not her by Clara Mae and almost got distracted while writing this part. But anyway, I guess that didn't matter as long as I posted the chapter, right? ;)**_

* * *

_**Part II**_

The teenager in front of him just gave a nod, her eyes were not having the light a person usually has. Ren wondered if this was how he had looked the first time he'd met Yashiro—minus the extra flesh and unruly hair that looked like it hadn't been combed for a long time.

"Yes, I'm Kyoko Mogami," she replied, bowing low. He almost lost his composure at the unusual gesture. No one, no one had ever done that in his entire life. Even when he was kept on a pedestal, people never groveled at his feet. They only showered him with gifts and fake love, analyzing ways in which they could use him. There were so many—including gaining fame, fulfilling physical desires and using resources that he could provide. But he only allowed whom he wished, because he was only sixteen before the terrible tragedy.

Nevertheless, the girl stood up, trying hard to balance on both her feet due to her weight. She was as fat as a person can get, but he was drawn towards her. Her amber eyes conveyed stories about her.

Stories that sparked an unusual desire to know more about her. And he was determined to find out more about her.

Maybe, he could change someone although he couldn't himself.

**x-x-x**

"I'm not sleeping with a stranger, no matter what," she claimed defiantly. Ren scowled, wondering why he'd not stomped all the way to Lory and demanded to get another person. Everything was fine as he explained the other rules Lory hadn't explained. Up until they reached his current room. He was allowed to choose a room before he got someone as his roommate. And he chose a decent room, large enough to move around and well lit. There were windows that weren't that large but allowed a lot of air to come in when it was windy.

Anyway, when he told her that she would be staying with him, she turned as white as sheets. She refused to stay with him, saying she'd rather sleep on the floor in the corridor than sleep in the same room with him.

"I'm your instructor! You have to obey what I have to say because I will control everything you have to do here," he growled harshly. Kyoko's eyes widened with fear, and Ren felt a twinge of guilt for forcing her.

She lowered her head, closing her eyes, "Alright. It's not like there is anything left for me. As it is, I was destroyed."

It sent a pang in his heart to hear such words from such a young person. Yes yes, he would think like that, but a girl wasn't supposed to talk about herself like that. She was supposed to try to flirt with him and try to disinterest him as much as possible.

But with every word and thing she did, he seemed to be more annoyed and desperate to lead her.

**x-x-x**

Ren watched her try to place her legs on the rocks as she was trying to climb the artificial mountain. He heard the same insults he'd gotten three years ago. But Kyoko didn't react to them the same he did. She just gave a dejected nod and started to climb again.

For a few moments, she seemed to make it a few inches above the ground, but she fell back on her butt. She winced, but she didn't bother saying anything. The director seemed impressed by her and didn't insult her so badly as he'd done so many minutes ago. Ren was already observing her and admiring her patience, silently wishing she'd climb at least half the small mountain.

As the first session ended, the director pulled Ren aside.

"Tsuruga, make her run every morning, and send her to the G. I think she would learn things only if she did something about her huge form. Until then, we will not start her training."

Ren was surprised, she was the first person to be sent to the G. G was a kind of gym but it didn't have equipment that gyms usually have. There, people were made to run miles in the morning, until an hour was up. Then they were made to drink a liter of water, with little to no food. They would be given boiled vegetables to eat and other items that didn't have fat to reduce their weight and make them efficient.

Each day, they would make them pull the string holding their weights, and skip a hundred times extra each day. Some people take longer than others but eventually, everyone comes out as a new person. Ren never had to go through that because he was already fit. But he already started feeling sympathetic for his young charge.

Later that night, he entered the room, finding her staring off at the moon through the windows with her knees drawn up to her chest. It looked as if she was struggling to keep her body together.

Ren removed his wristwatch. and placed on the table beside his bed. He tapped the alarm once, the one he bought in the local store in locul de vindecare. He always thought it was a made up title until Yashiro told him the meaning behind the phrase. It was Healing Point, in some language he'd never heard. Probably Lory decided to make the title as extravagant as himself.

As of right now, he saw the girl in front of, holding her knees close to her. He remembered Yashiro trying to soothe his pain by spending his night with him. But now it was different. He had to deal with a girl, which he hadn't done in a long time.

However, he didn't want to leave her a victim to her own painful thoughts as he'd do. He stood up from his position and hugged her from behind.

She stiffened then pushed him a little too roughly.

He groaned as his butt made contact with the hard floor. He rubbed his butt as he glared at the girl as she glared back at him.

"Why'd you do that? I wasn't taking advantage of you!" he growled.

She glared at him, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. There was a ring on her hand, something she must've decided to take along with her to this place.

"Sure you didn't. I know I am not that appealing and that beautiful. But that doesn't mean I am comfortable with intimacy. Especially you! If you really want to bully someone, go bully someone else! I do—"

"Why the hell would I bully you? As if I don't have anything better to do!"

"Yes, you don't! You are my instructor, yet you were standing far away and watching me struggle. You could've helped me! You could've told me how to do it," she shouted.

The veins in his forehead popped out, making him scowl deeper. His anger seemed to finally reach its peak. Who did she think she was? Some President's daughter? He wasn't her servant, he hated it when people spoke to him like that. How dare she say he was a bully! How cou—

Suddenly, she sat down, frightened.

He blinked, stunned, watching her sob softly. She looked like a giant teddy bear, as she hiccuped at her fate.

"I didn't think falling in love would be so terrible. I wish I'd never got along with Shotaro," she mumbled softly, but he heard her clearly.

She desperately looked around her, then found a can of water and few snacks that were given to Ren as he had the privilege to eat anything he wanted outside the meals they provided.

She grabbed the chocolate, munching it and relaxing as if that eased her worries.

Ren was shocked at her strange behavior. He didn't mind if she would've told him before taking his snacks.

She ignored him as if he never existed and talked herself to sleep. And all the time Ren stared at her, intrigued and stunned. Kyoko was such a weird girl, but she was an independent person. He could see that.

Did she really become like this because of a broken heart?

**x-x-x**

Ren tried to close his ears when he heard scold him like she was the one in control of the situation at hand.

"...Just look at you, you are so skinny. If you keep doing this, you'd fall in no time. How could you neglect your health like that?" scolded Kyoko.

She pushed past the kitchen chef and took the gloves and the hat. She started making something while she muttered a few curses as people stared at her.

Men weren't sure if they should be scared or just mock her, and the women were angry with the way she treated Ren. It was as if the world had turned upside down. How could a short, plump and probably weak girl scold such a large man who, had mastered many skills and was her instructor? The few people who'd initially seen Ren's temper(the directors), admired her bravery to stand up even though her life was in danger.

Finally, after doing God-knows-what, she got a tray of food for him, apologizing the chef sweetly and bowing as low as possible. Ren didn't know if he should laugh or just walk away leaving her with her own food.

But he did neither, he sat down and let her serve him. She was here to heal herself, and if he behaved differently, people would accuse him of putting her in more pain by humiliating her.

He took a bite of the food she made, praying she wasn't a bad cook and embarrass himself by puking in the nearest trashcan. Surprisingly, it was to his liking, not too spicy or too bland. It was seasoned perfectly as if she'd mastered the art of cooking.

In a few minutes, he was pushing a completely empty set of dishes. Usually, he would either skip the meals or just eat them little. For the first time in his life, he had an appetite even if it was for a little while.

He glanced at the woman in front of him, who was beaming at him as if he'd done a good job. Suddenly, he became aware of his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"See? It wasn't that difficult."

He let a small smile break through his facade, his real smile. She was so innocent, yet so cute.

"Yes, it wasn't that difficult."

**x-x-x**

"Tsuruga!"

He turned, finding her wobbling her feet to hurry towards him with a panicked expression. It was the third day, and she'd managed to calm down around him when she realized he had nothing to do with her. But she still felt uncomfortable changing her clothes in front of him. After all, they were in the same room with no other rooms inside, all of them outside at the far end of the long corridor that held many rooms. Kyoko didn't want to wander in the night, especially when it brought bad memories to her.

Ren watched her come to him with a frightened look.

"What is this G?"

Ren realized that they'd officially decided to send her to the G. Ren nodded thoughtfully before telling her what it was. It made her shoulders slump and look dejected.

"Why do they want to make me fit? It's not like that would heal me from my pain. I hate this place already," she mumbled bitterly.

Ren sighed, asking fates silently if this was a joke to them.

"Look, you must learn what they tell you here. It would help you tackle the same situation in a way that wouldn't hurt you," said Ren although he didn't believe in it. He remembered being pushed into similar situations like the one he had gone through. But it made him feel even worse, especially in the night when he would hit the wall repeatedly until his knuckles bled, or until Yashiro used force against him.

However, he had to agree, he didn't do that now, he felt like he'd become stronger, although not healed.

"Tell me, did these things heal you? Did you move on from your past?" she demanded, her eyes swimming with fresh tears. He sighed and reached out to wipe them.

"Come, I'll tell you what they expect of you in the G."

Ren started telling her about the rules and activities they held. As they fell into a comfortable line, Kyoko cracked a lame joke, making Ren offer her a small smile in an attempt to ease her tension.

"Are you sure you don't need pads to put over your feet?" he teased her, making her glare at him.

"Of course not! Why would I want that?

"Because you'd feel the grass and think they were needles trying to pierce your feet and merge with your blood," he replied innocently.

She gaped at him, "How could you! Of course, I have run before in my life, barefoot. I have felt the grass below my feet and they are not like needles as you have said. And I—Hey! You can't make fun of me like that!" she was fuming when she saw him laughing at her. She started punching his chest, which didn't have any impact on him. When she became more persistent, he blocked her hits and caught her hands.

Ren smirked at her as he left her wrists, and then pulled her cheeks.

"I will always make fun of you, whether you like it or not," he said.

She blushed at that and grumbled under her breath as she glared at him.

"Playboy!"

She walked away, muttering curses and attracting attention.

He watched her go with a warm smile.

She was so adorable when she got all flustered up. He had to resist the urge to tease her even more.

And find out the depth of the red that would creep to her cheeks.

**x-x-x**

"I hate The G!" she came inside, collapsing on her bed. She was so exhausted and hungry. They were so bad! How could they starve a girl who needed more food than an average girl? And why the hell did they force her to drink so much water? Were they trying to turn her into the water?

"Well, nobody told you to love it," he replied.

She rolled until she was facing him. He was removing the socks from his feet and in that act, he looked handsome. She always found him attractive, but once he opened his smart mouth, all good thoughts about him flew out the window.

Kyoko scowled at him, "How could you joke about this right now?"

He arched an eyebrow, looking at her through his brown eyes.

"I didn't joke. You'd be laughing right now if I did. Besides, no one ever likes The G. I remember a boy last year, from the white group who had been sent to the G. The directors would keep talking about him, about how he tended to throw things out of anger and then faint because of not having enough food. For a few months, he just kept resisting, until finally, he learned that he had no way out until he had become fit. He had a body of a truck, but he was weak from inside."

Kyoko looked attentively as he told her more stories about people who had been sent to the G, only to return much better than before. She wondered if she could be like them, strong-willed and determined.

At least then, she would be able to heal.

**x-x-x**

For days Kyoko avoided everyone, not even once complaining about her aching body. The people in the G never interacted with each other—may be too stressed out to actually socialize.

Slowly, days turned into months, and by the end of six months, she was declared fit. Kyoko didn't feel as exhausted as she used to before, and her appetite decreased tremendously. She wondered if her XXL clothes would fit her anymore. She needed to buy new clothes, but she wasn't allowed to visit the local clothes store without an escort. And right now, only Ren was her escort because she knew no one.

She waited till night fell when she and he would be in the privacy of their room. Some days she would blabber nonsense and he would listen patiently, adding a few teasing comments here and there. Slowly, they'd fallen in a pattern, where they would rely on each other.

Sometimes Kyoko would find him sitting in the middle of the night and she would suddenly hug him, making him hug her back.

They would fall asleep like that until Ren's alarm would go off. Then they would argue, in which Kyoko would call Ren a pervert and other things that would make him raise an eyebrow and point things out to prove his point.

But eventually, they stopped bickering for that reason, realizing that it was useless.

And now, when she was going to start anew, she was nervous.

"Tsuruga? Do you think I would fall down again?"

He stopped folding his blanket and looked at her. He didn't give her any expression.

"Unless you plan to relieve me of my duties as your instructor. At least I would be in peace for the next two months," he said, smirking.

She gasped at first until she saw him smirking and realized that he was teasing her.

"Playboy!" she yelled before she left forgetting that she had to talk to him about her clothes.

**x-x-x**

Kyoko braced herself, concentrating hard on the rocks. She managed to analyze the rough and smooth edges and was ready to start her climb.

Once the director gave his okay, she grabbed the rocks she thought were safe and pulled her now light body up.

From afar, Ren watched her, silently hoping she'd make it this time. Slowly, he counted on his fingers, watching her cross her previous spot and go higher. Ren felt himself smile as he saw her inching towards the top. And when she'd finally reached the top, the smile she gave really made him feel that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It had been days since he saw her in actual daylight, and without loose clothes that usually drowned her inside.

Wait, if all her clothes were large in size, did it mean she had no clothes that will fit her now thin form? He could feel himself getting excited at the prospect of buying clothes for her at the local store. He had a chance to visit the world this month, and he had been avoiding visiting the world because he wanted to stay with Kyoko. It made him feel like he should be her anchor. And although he wouldn't admit it, he needed her. She would bring him back to sanity from the nightmares that would haunt him sometimes.

Anyway, now that she'd reached the top once, she was doing it again, to show the director that she had mastered it.

And Ren was glad to have seen her joyful face as she reached the top again.

**x-x-x**

"You, are going to travel outside locul de vindecare to get clothes for me—are you seriously crazy?" Kyoko asked as they ate the snacks Ren had. He specifically ordered healthy ones, so they both didn't argue about who was taking care of their health and who wasn't.

Ren nodded, carefully noting her expression.

"I'd be out for a couple of days when you'd be learning swimming and revolver shooting. They should be easy, and I don't think you'd need my assistance for them. I'm pretty sure you can handle yourself. Besides, I haven't been outside for almost four years now," he said sheepishly. Kyoko's eyes widened, her lips parting and making Ren wish he could kiss them and do things he had done with no one before.

"Then I won't stop you. But don't buy anything expensive. I'd hate to be indebted to you."

He wondered yet again, what made her come here. It had been eight months, but they hadn't shared their past with each other. But as Ren spent more days with her, he wanted to know more about her than anything.

However, Ren did tell her a little about his past, she knew that he was traumatized because of a car accident. She didn't know anything beyond that.

"Kyoko, I know I should not ask you, but what happened?"

Kyoko's heart skipped a beat, suddenly nervous. She knew she should confide in him, after all the things he'd done for her. Especially when she would cry uncontrollably sometimes.

She knew he deserved the truth, even if she didn't want to tell him.

"I...am an illegitimate child of Misanoi Kazushi."

It took a minute to click, but then he started to realize what Kyoko finally meant.

"You are the daughter they kept flashing in the news," he whispered, stunned.

She nodded miserably, "I was sent away to a ryokan owner, to grow up with their child, Shotaro Fuwa. I grew with him and found out about the truth when I just turned fourteen. I overheard a conversation between the owners, that they were planning to betroth me to their son, as it was my parents didn't want me.

I was already in love with Sho, deeply, madly in love. When he proposed to take me away from the restricting life of an Okami and a Taisho, I accepted without hesitation. We entered a new place, penniless and completely clueless. I took up odd jobs to at least pay for the apartment Sho chose. For a while, I was content and happy serving Sho. He came late in the nights, sometimes drunk. I used to think he went out to work hard and came tired because of it. I'd pay for everything, the expenses and things he'd ask me," Kyoko risked looking at Ren, who had a concerned look.

She gave him a weak sad smile, "I didn't suspect until one day he had lipstick all over his white shirt. His shirt was half open, the lipstick extending as far as it could stretch. I smelt a feminine perfume, and I just knew that he wasn't being honest with me. The next day, I confronted him, only to find out that he had never done anything than be there to be served. I honestly had nothing to say, I was furious. I left the house and was just going to be hit. It had been a year exactly, and I'd just turned fifteen."

Tears were rolling down her cheeks now, "I wandered till I reached my mother's house. She threw me out without even looking at me. I was living outside, on the footpaths and sometimes on abandoned roads. And then," she sucked in the air, "a few drunk men were in the alley I accidentally had stumbled upon. I had grown as fat as a person could get. I had a few chocolates through which I was surviving. But those men didn't care about my appearance. T—they f—found a girl so t—" she hiccupped and Ren could imagine what they would have done.

And that just boiled his blood, his anger started reaching its peak.

"I struggled myself free, and it was so difficult because my strength had slowly diminished as I grew plumper. I ran as far as my legs could take me until I reached a richly decorated hotel, and I collapsed right in front of it. When I opened my eyes, I was in a room, and a man was hovering over me. He offered me a place to stay and told me that I could become stronger and overcome any obstacle in my life. I had nothing else to lose, so I accepted and signed the contract. He asked me if I wanted to take anything with me. I looked for my ring—the only indication that I was loved by someone," she pulled the ring out of her hand and held it out for Ren to see.

As soon as the ring came into his view, his eyes widened, and he was shocked. He recognized it alright, but he never expected it to find. He jerked his head and looked at her more carefully and noticed that her features had more definition, the roundness of her cheeks disappearing already. Those were the same big eyes.

"Hamburger queen?" he asked.

She looked at him confusedly until her eyes widened and she started to grin. She spread her arms wide and flung them around his neck.

"Corn," she exclaimed in delight.

He smiled, recalling his time in Kyoto, where his parents were exploring for a week.

**_/Flashback/_**

_Koun was bored, he wandered aimlessly around the park, looking for something that would catch his attention. A twelve-year-old boy wandering around without an adult could be dangerous, but Koun was not naive. His parents had taught him to be aware and not speak to people he didn't know or even acknowledge them._

_He pushed the bushes away when he heard someone sobbing loudly._

_A girl of about eight years sat on the grass with her knees drawn to her chest. Her cheek was bleeding, and she looked like she needed a hug. Koun felt so bad, he hugged her._

_She immediately clung to his chest and cried even louder. She kept mumbling, saying something along the line of being a fairy princess._

_Koun decided to feed her yearnings._

_"Well, Fairy queen, would you like to see some magic?" He asked, bowing with a dramatic flair._

_The little girl raised her eyes and for a moment she was confused until she perked up and stood up, looking at him curiously._

_He smiled at her slightly, relaxing._

_"I... "_

_He smiled, nodding as if accepting her flustered expression as a sign of acceptance._

_"Then I present to you a ring from the city of..."_

_"Hamburger!"_

_He blinked, then smile again._

_"Okay, from the Hamburger city. And I, Prince of Hamburger can only give you a small gift for the beauty my queen holds." He said, finally performing a trick his father had taught him._

_He turned her palm and tapped it. He collected the air and closed his palm as he said a few incoherent words before opening his palm._

_She gasped, looking at the ring in his hand. She took it and looked at it with wonder._

_"My lady can speak to me through the magical ring of Koun!" He said softly watching as she eyed the ring with awe. She raised it in front of the sun, which reflected its light in the purple stone in the middle and made it look dark orangish._

_Koun smiled, praying that his mother wouldn't scold him too hard for losing one of her amazing rings that he kept with him only to stare in fascination as it reflected partially and turned into another color. Although she'd never ask him, he just hoped she would forget about it._

_The little girl hugged him, giggling and thanking him._

_Over the few days he stayed, he visited the same place, paying homage to his Queen Hamburger. He had grown to like her, and he liked her company better than other people. She managed to make him feel special, calling him Corn, the prince of hamburger. Her golden eyes intrigued him, especially when they sparkled when he said or did something amazing according to her._

_Usually, he would eagerly wait for her in the park, thinking about her little pigtails. Sometimes she would come crying, either because the owners of Fuwa Ryokan would hit her, or punish her for not being perfect. Koun wanted to hit those idiotic people for torturing his dear friend, but he had no power. Even if he told his parents, they wouldn't have that much time to deal with a twelve-year-old boy's problems or his friends._

_But his presence was enough for little Kyoko-chan. She didn't need any extra effort to be pleased. Him being there when she cried made her feel better that someone was there for her._

_Unfortunately, the end of his vacation was fast approaching and he felt reluctant, something that he didn't feel initially. He didn't want to leave Kyoko alone, but he can't ask his parents to leave him in an unknown city all alone. They'd obviously not listen._

_Koun unconsciously stiffened as he heard the rustling of the bushes and he knew who it was even before the bushes were pushed apart._

_"Corn!" _

_He spread his arms and allowed her to fall in his arms, smiling as she snuggled into his chest. _

_When she pulled away, she could sense that he had something to tell her. _

_"What's wrong?" she asked. _

_"Kyoko-chan, I'm afraid that I am going back today," he said. _

_He pulled her tiny hand up, her ring finger on her right hand was small for the ring he'd given her. Nevertheless, the ring was half dangling in her finger. He smiled as he brushed his thumb over it. _

_"Kyoko-chan, if you ever need me, use this ring. It takes away sadness and makes you feel better immediately," Koun said softly. Tears welled up in Kyoko's eyes but she let him go. She just nodded, feeling sad. _

_They parted their ways after playing 'Hamburger City Rule' for the last time. _

**_/Flashback ends/_**

"I never thought we'd ever meet, even after I went to that side of the park after so many years, I never found the girl with two pigtails," he said fondly, running his hand through her black hair.

She shivered, feeling pleased with the way his hand soothed her nerves.

Ren was smiling despite himself, looking at the young lady in front of him.

The silence between stretched until finally, Kyoko broke the silence, clearing her dry throat.

"So, you are not going to budge, no matter what I say. You will buy dresses from outside," she said. He gave her a smile, shaking his head. Ren was not going to back down, not when he really wanted to do something for someone so eagerly for the first time in his life other than for his parents and Yashiro.

"Even if I told you that I'd force you to eat more than you can, not talk to you and complain that you have been nagging me..." she would have continued, but Ren's kicked puppy eyes halted whatever she was going to say next. Kyoko gulped, as he forced his decision with a look. She blushed from the root of her hairs to the tip of her toes. She was thankful that it was dark.

Or else he would've noticed it.

**x-x-x**

Ren gave a kiss on Kyoko's head and smiled. He knew he was taking a risk, but it would be worth it. Especially now, when he realized who it was. His heart felt warm, thinking about her. He was beyond glad that he was the happiest memory in her life.

He ran his hand through his hair, which was brown now. Ren liked his current appearance, the one he chose so many years ago. Looking at himself, he reflected on how much he'd changed.

He'd never smile so much, and he was smiling, smirking and laughing at Kyoko when she would stutter and give him those interesting expressions as she would hit him for teasing her.

He wanted to taste the food she made. He still remembered the taste, because that was the first time someone had ever made something he actually wanted. accurate even! Ren smiled, thinking about her.

He slung the backpack on his shoulder and walked out of the room. He was content with kissing her forehead, although he desperately wanted to kiss her lips. However, he couldn't act on his urges.

Ren didn't want to leave Kyoko, but he had to get her something to wear. People, anyone would think he was crazy, but he wasn't. He had seen the clothes for woman in the local store. They were vulgar and showed her body inappropriately. Most of them had low neck, revealing the cleavage. He'd seen the women wear those clothes, and the looks men gave them. He didn't want_ his_ Kyoko to be a prey to those hungry men who seemed to think about nothing but sex.

Suddenly, he realized that he'd unconsciously claimed Kyoko. Somehow, that made him happy, and wish that she was really his.

As Ren reached the office door, he stared at the large wood. What if Lory refuses him? What if Lory says that he was a special case and didn't need to go out? Before he could question himself even more, the door opened.

And Ren took a deep breath, getting inside as Lory gave him a large grin.

**x-x-x**

"Are you sure young man you want to go out after almost four years?" Lory asked, pouring himself wine. He offered none to Ren, and Ren didn't mind. He had turned twenty in February, But he'd been busy helping Kyoko with the schedule.

Especially when she was in the G. He would sit and explain everything patiently, telling her about the task they'd give her. She would hate it especially when they would punch her stomach and kick her thighs. It would pain like crazy, but she learned to endure it.

Anyway, Ren nodded, certain. He wanted to get two things done. One was obviously buying her decent clothes.

"Why do you want to go out?"

Ren opened his mouth to answer but Lory beat him to that.

"Oh I know! _Miss Mogami _needs a few things so you are getting them for her, hm?"

Ren almost lost his composure, he'd let his guard down suddenly. He quickly required from his surprise.

"You are well informed," Ren noted dryly.

Lory grinned as he sipped his wine. He set it on his table, standing on the side.

"I make sure I am up to date. Anyway, I somehow knew Miss Mogami was involved, " He replied.

Ren cocked an eyebrow, feeling uneasy.

"You never requested to go out in all these three and a half years. I know that those three years you were actually banned from going out. But then, you had two chances, and yet you didn't go. But now, after Miss Mogami was released from the G, when she just began training, you suddenly asked me to allow you to go out. You have to admit, I was curious and couldn't help investigate."

Ren didn't betray an emotion, thinking about how much of an idiot he was.

Lory looked at him, but this time his eyes seemed to pierce his soul.

"Koun, are you sure you can go out and face your parents?"

Ren sighed, blinking away.

"I'm not. And I wasn't planning to meet them either. Please don't notify them that I've been released for a few days, " begged Ren. Lory nodded slightly, as his eyes softened slightly and he allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

"I will."

Ren stood up, holding his backpack.

"I have one more thing to tell you," Lory said, picking his glass from the table.

Ren looked at him once more.

"Miss Mogami is being searched all over Tokyo, " said Lory, observing Ren's face. Ren gave him a blank look, although he was confused.

"Who is searching for her?"

"Her father," Lory said softly, watching as a shocked expression appeared on his face.

Lory walked past him, holding his glass. "I'm certain Miss Mogami told you what she _thought _happened. But, do you _actually _know what happened?"

Ren didn't know if he should answer to that. What did Lory mean? Did it mean that Kyoko was not an illegitimate child? Did she go through something that was created for her to be tortured? Did it mean that Sho didn't really betray her?

"I know you have a lot of questions, Koun. But it's not my place to answer them. I think you know where to start looking."

Ren nodded grimly. It was eight months now since he was assigned as Kyoko Mogami's instructor, and the fact that someone from her family was searching seemed very odd.

"I have a request before I leave," Ren said before leaving.

Lory raised an eyebrow.

Ren gave him one last nod and left the office, now with a different purpose although he would complete his earlier purpose.

* * *

Kyoko woke up to the sound of the alarm. Something told her that today was going to be lonely, but she pushed that feeling away. She got up from her bed, feeling energetic. Naturally, she was a morning person, even when she had gained a lot of weight.

However, now she felt even more energetic because she didn't have harbor extra flesh that didn't help her do anything productive.

With that thought, Kyoko got ready for the day, knotting the places she thought would hold her top. It was way too loose for her. But she had to do something about it. She glanced at the other bed once, wishing he was there. She'd gotten used to seeing him change from his pyjamas into plain shirts. Hence, unconsciously her eyes drifted to the window where he would stand sometimes when he would button his shirts. She would often see him in t-shirts, and although she would never admit it, she liked to have him around.

Although she would constantly blush at his comments and his teasing, she didn't feel like hating him anymore. Yes, in the start she was a real jerk when he tried to comfort her. Now that she thought about it, she felt guilty and so sorry.

Kyoko stepped out of her room, walking towards the main land. There, she felt the stares of the men. The same ones that had been mocking her months ago. And now, they were falling all over themselves. She knew that some stared, but somehow, when Ren was around she didn't feel them so intense. But when he wasn't around, she felt more aware of their blatant stare.

"Hey!"

She turned her head and found a tall guy approaching her. He wasn't as tall as Ren, but he was respectably tall. If she recalled, he was a playboy, and an actual player. Although she didn't see him all those months, she'd had enough days to observe him and notice how he would allow his stare to linger when Ren wasn't looking. Kyoko didn't know what power Ren had, but people seemed to get horrified.

Kyoko didn't say anything, nor did she give any indication that she was actually happy to see him. He was breathless when he was looking into her eyes.

"Can I sit with you in lunch?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes and seemed to exhibit a deadly aura, remembering how Sho would talk to her like that only when he wanted something. She wasn't going to let herself down to such people.

"I'll ask my _instructor _if I can have my lunch with you. You see, he _instructed _me to _not _sit with anyone other than him," Suddenly, and purposefully, she widened her eyes, and gasped, "I forgot! He is not here. I'm sorry, I cannot disobey the orders of my instructor. And I certainly cannot sit with you without his permission. I'm really sorry," She executed a perfect right angle bow.

After that, some people seemed to direct their eyes somewhere else, and she smiled.

Any victory is a victory. And Kyoko felt like she was closer to freeing herself from her past.

**x-x-x**

Ren tapped the button of the portal. It was the room that looked just like the one he'd been four years ago. But in this room, there was no bed. Only a button and a pole. He had no idea what a pole did, but he knew that he had to push the button beside the pole.

He stepped in front of the button and pushed it, suddenly feeling like the earth was moving. He held the pole, now understanding it's use.

As he was getting higher and higher, he was getting more anxious. He wanted to find out what exactly happened. What happened all those years ago, and why are her family still searching for her.

He felt the ceiling open, and suddenly, he was blinded by the sunlight he'd seen so many hours ago. But here, he felt the free air, as if free from the. Constraining rules he had been accustomed to. He wondered if he could cope with that.

Slowly, he stepped out of the circle and felt it go down as another covering sealed the tunnel as if it had never been there. He was thankful he knew the portal for instructors that Lory had assigned. He took a deep breath and decided to look for the Kazushi Mansion. At least he could start by asking questions.

As he passed by a bookstore, his eye caught the picture of Kyoko, when she was still plump. She had the empty look like she had in the start. Now when he looked at it, he felt heartbroken. Nobody, should look so broken, especially at such a tender age of fifteen. Although Ren was himself a victim of the social evil norms, he didn't think others should go through the same things.

He paid for the newspaper, something he earned because he was an instructor now. He started reading it while walking towards a bench.

**Rich heiress still missing. Kazushi Kyoko. **

_"Kyoko Kazushi is still missing according to our sources. Her father, Misanoi Kazushi claims that he hadn't known that his child was hidden, and that he would do anything to bring her back. He says that she must be the daughter of his first love and wife, Saena Mogami. Her whereabouts are also unknown, but there is a strong suspicion that Saena is in Kyoto, her native town. _

_Kyoko is about sixteen, and she has golden eyes. She seemed to have lived with a guy of her age since an early age. We have no other news regarding her yet. _

_The search is still going on, they're trying to track her down using all the leads they can."_

Ren was furious. How could this old guy lie so easily? To think he even claimed that Kyoko was actually his first daughter!

Ren knew he would get his answers straight from the horse's mouth.

And he just knew whom to ask for this horse's address.

**x-x-x**

Ren thanked his friend by wishing him luck, and Yashiro chided him to find his dream girl before he turned old in locul de vindecare. He couldn't help himself, he uttered Yashiro's name dangerously making the other man laugh.

"You too. Send me the marriage proposal first."

Ren rolled his eyes and cut the call.

After a few moments, he knew the address by heart now, and he was standing right in front of the large gate.

Kazushi Misanoi was a rich merchant, who was smart and had taken his career as far as he can. He had built an empire out of gadgets and markets. He ran the largest part of the super markets around Tokyo, and also in a few countries. His name was well reputed because he was also known as the best friend of the Army General—Dai-Nippon Teikuko. So it made him even more famous.

However, his life wasn't advertised because he wouldn't talk much about them, nor would he allow anyone in the family to even breathe a word about them.

Ren took a deep breath and entered the gates, ignoring the curious looks of the guards. They didn't try to stop him, figuring that he came from a good family due to his looks.

He knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it.

Soon, a maid opened the door and Ren said that he wanted to speak to the owner of the house. Although Misanoi didn't speak to people without an appointment, the maid couldn't stop Ren from entering. His extremely handsome visage left her flustered and yearning of his attention.

Later, Ren sat in the Hall, lookin around him. The house was spacious, yet it wasn't that extravagantly decorated. It was simple, yet elegant.

"Who are you, young man?" Ren looked at the man in front of him. Ren almost let his mask slip, but he composed himself.

This man, had the same golden eyes. His jaw was set the same like Kyoko. He was standing with his morning coffee in his bathrobe.

"Good morning, Sir. I'm Ren Tsuruga. Although you don't know me, I don't think it's necessary. Just answer my questions sincerely, and I will tell you accordingly about your daughter," said Ren, observing the man's reaction.

"Are you talking about my first daughter Kyoko?"

Ren fought the urge to kick this guy, for even claiming her. "Yes, I'm talking about Kyoko Mogami."

Kazushi didn't say anything if he noticed the way he spoke to him, or he simply ignored it. He just sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"I know what I did nine months ago was wrong. But I was helpless. Especially when I was torn between serving by current family.

He walked past Ren, making him follow him. Misanoi sighed, looking like a tired old man.

" I have no idea why you are asking me about her, but I think I can trust you. I can see that you know my daughter and where she is right now. I trust that after I tell you everything thing, you'd tell me."

He turned and bore his eyes into Ren's. Ren managed to keep a straight face as he nodded slightly.

Misanoi sighed again, turning as he traced his hand on the window.

"It started with the day we got engaged... "

_**/Flashback/**_

_"Sae-chan!" _

_Saena scowled at him, "Don't call me that!" _

_And he fell in love with her. _

_They stayed in the mansion for a few days, with him trying to woo her. And Saena trying to dispell his advances. _

_As the days went on, Saena would sometimes get into trouble for being reckless. But he managed to get her out of trouble. He stayed when she cried on his shoulder for being forced to give up on her studies and marry him. He promised the skies for her and promised that he would allow her to study further and complete the lawyer degree. _

_After six months, they were happily married, both deeply in love. For a few months, everything was fine, Saena managed to balance the responsibilities of being a wife and a daughter in law. But that didn't deter her from her goal. And every night she would cuddle in her husband's arms. _

_Then came the day they had their first fight. Saena was furious, so she locked herself in her room. Misanoi tried to plead her to come out, but since she was still arguing back, he left her to drink in the bar. _

_And soon, the Duke's daughter who had been yearning for his attention used him that night. Unfortunately, she conceived the same night. _

_As they woke up in the morning, Misanoi was horrified at what he'd done. He tried to plead the woman to not spread rumors and forget about him completely. But that woman, being selfish went and told Saena first. _

_Saena took it better than most people would. The next day, she was gone with a paper sitting on the table. _

_On it was her signature for divorce. _

**_/End of Flashback/_**

"I tried finding her for years, even when my son grew up. I had given up after not finding a trace. But then one night after sixteen years of our separation, a girl comes on my door in the middle of a party and begs me to take her in. My entire family was staring at me, wondering what I'd do after all those years. I was blinded with rage, revenge and sorrow that I didn't think before I disowned her. I didn't even know that she really was my own daughter until I'd remembered some news so many years ago, about her being my illegitimate child. I couldn't believe Sae-chan would not defend me or herself.

"I still regret it. After fighting with my wife just a few months ago, I decided that enough was enough. Now that I knew that she was indeed my own daughter, I launched a search mission, not leaving a trace. I wanted to make up for all the years I missed."

Ren was watching as the man sank down on the floor, shaking with regret and pain. Ren walked towards him and crouched down.

"Kyoko grew up without her mother since she was six. She grew up with a brat who didn't even comfort her once when she kept crying. She would get punished for not doing the things perfectly. She got her heart broken when she ran away. She was used like a paper—not in the way you are thinking—but as a servant. She was almost raped on the road, " said Ren, watching as Misanoi raised his head and looked at him, shocked.

"Kyoko only saw her mother until she was nine. And then she was just a slave to the Fuwa ryokan. She has suffered more than any child," Ren said softly as he saw the older man become pained.

"I'm so sorry! I...I didn't even know! I'm sorry! Please forg—"

"Don't ask me, you should be apologizing to her! She spent her entire life thinking she was worthless, and had no one to care for her!" Ren replied, gritting his teeth.

Misanoi didn't reply, he just sat defeated. Ren looked at him, feeling awful for him. But at the same time, he felt even worse for Kyoko. She _wasted _her childhood when she could've had a wonderful life with her father. All because of a stupid argument, she was suffering and now had to come to a place to heal herself, wasting another year of her life.

But then, she would've never met Ren. And then he wouldn't have anyone to rely on. And then she wouldn't have been able to find her Prince again. Fate had strange ways to string destinies together.

"I can see that you love my daughter deeply," Misanoi noted

Ren lost his cool and almost choked on his own bile.

"How could you say that I love your daughter?" He couldn't believe that he was being assumed to be in love.

Misanoi gave him a small smile. "You weren't aware of your feelings. Interesting. I'm glad that you love my daughter so much that you came here to talk to me. I know I don't deserve to see her ever in my life, and I would gladly stop this search if she wishes. Just...just let me see her once. Let me meet her once so I could apologize and maybe see her mother."

Ren felt bad for the old man, but he couldn't promise him anything.

"I'm sorry, but you can't meet her right now. Perhaps someday, I will try to make her come and meet you. But for now," Ren stood up, shaking off the strong overwhelming sensation, "Wait."

Ren was walking away, shaking slightly at the revelation.

"Tsuruga Ren!"

He turned behind him, finding Misanoi smiling at him with a twinkle in his eyes, "Keep my daughter happy. And invite me in your wedding."

Ren was so shocked, he didn't move for a few beats until a maid tested the waters and pushed her chest a little closer to his body.

Ren decided he must leave before he did something rash.

He kept trying to push the thought away. If he really was in love, how could he live now? Especially when she was still a minor and he was an adult. And when she swore off love, and he had no chance until she healed.

But what if she left him in locul de vindecare all alone? What if she fell in love with some other guy and forgot him?

The last thought hurt him the most, he felt a sharp pain straight on his heart.

He strolled to the top brands of clothes, looking for clothes that looked decent and good on Kyoko. He felt so excited just thinking about her wearing something he bought.

And then when he was done, he decided to cross one more thing off his list.

The only thing left to do was, talk to Saena Mogami.

And he was glad he'd asked for her address before itself.

**x-x-x**

Kyoko groaned as a guy started calling her name. She became aware of her curvy body that seemed to attract the men. She missed Ren so much, she wanted to go out, find him and then drag him back here. But she couldn't do that. Ren would not like that. Also, she'd been able to do the tasks easily, as Ren had predicted. He seemed to know her capabilities very well. That thought warmed her up and she smiled unconsciously.

Ren seemed to know when to sneak into her heart.

She froze.

Wait, _what? _

Kyoko suddenly lost her concentration and shot beside the target.

"I'm so sorry!"

The director gave her a weak smile as he observed other people. Kyoko took her aim and thought again

Was she really back to being in love? But why wasn't she so terrified? Why did the thought of loving Ren thrill and excite her like never before? Was she going paranoid? Even if she did love him, he would never love her. Especially when he looked so handsome, she was sure Ren already had a girlfriend somewhere.

Kyoko completed the tasks that were left and went back to her room. It was almost four days since Ren left. And she felt so lonely, it was killing her. She missed him so so much. She wished she hadn't allowed him to go. But then he wouldn't have listened.

She sighed as she entered the room.

"Knock on the door before entering, Miss Mogami."

Kyoko jumped, her hand flying to her chest to control the erratic beating of her heart. She felt it would come out any moment as she stared at the naked chest of the handsome man who called himself her instructor.

She blushed a deep red, making him feel amused. She managed to glare at him, turning around.

"G—get d—dressed!" yelled Kyoko. Ren laughed, pulling the light green T-shirt over himself. He felt so pleased and happy around her. The surprise was worth it. But he had a few pressing issues, and that includes many things. Especially Kyoko's past.

Ren's eyes darkened when he went to meet Saena Mogami. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he thought she was heartless.

_"She reminds me of restriction and coercion. I cannot look at that girl before imagining his face. If you really want me to apologize, I am not going to either. I don't feel sorry for abandoning her."_

Ren would have yelled at the woman, but he didn't. He was so shocked, he couldn't even process a glare. He remembered recounting Kyoko's suffering again, making the older woman's eyes darken. And just for a moment, he thought he saw regret and pain but she quickly pulled her mask up.

He remembered when she excused herself and he had no choice but to leave. On the way, he'd been so furious, he could see red. But, as he slowly climbed the train, he realized something.

If she really hated Kyoko as she said, she wouldn't have abandoned her in _someone else's_ house. But she did. She wouldn't have allowed him in to speak to him. And she wouldn't have listened to her painful past. But she did. And that means something. Especially when she was trying so hard to hide her emotions, he saw the regret. He was used to that emotion, and it wasn't new.

So, Ren went back to the old guy, and murmured Saena's addressed. He'd turned into a puddle immediately.

"Tsuruga, are you going to stand and stare there for the rest of your life?" asked Kyoko, pulling him out of his musings.

He smirked, looking at her. "If you want to stare at me then I don't mind standing here forever," teased Ren.

Kyoko blushed, glaring at him

"Playboy!"

He laughed again then suddenly remembered.

"Oh I got for you new clothes!" He said excitedly. Her heart started beating wildly at the excitement and the happy smile that radiated and lighted the entire room.

She smiled at him involuntarily. Until he pulled out many many bags.

"Did you buy the entire store?!" Kyoko asked incredulously. Ren gave her his sad eye look that resembled a kicked puppy. Kyoko couldn't resist but accept them with a grumble. She removed the clothes one by one, trying to find the price tag because they all looked so expensive and pretty. And Ren was glad he'd removed those tags in the train and while he was walking back to the portal.

As Kyoko looked at the clothes with a dreamy look, she sighed and closed her eyes, pushing the clothes away. Ren frowned as a few tears leaked from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I cannot accept them. Thank you," Kyoko said, before scrambling to her feet and almost leaving the room.

Ren stood up and caught her wrist pulling into his arms.

She cried, her tears wetting his T-shirt. But he didn't mind.

"You have to, because I cannot return them. Especially after I removed the tags. You _have _to accept them. Or else I will force you to. After all, I'm still your instructor," Ren threatened, but Kyoko didn't feel so scared. She felt even more worse for making him go.

"Why did you get me so many clothes? I don't even deserve them!"

He pulled her chin towards him as they sat down. He made her look into his eyes.

"Kyoko, you are the _most _deserving of all those clothes. And you cannot think of yourself as worthless. After all, you still have people caring for you, " said Ren, smiling as he recalled her father begging him to take him with him as he would come back.

Kyoko frowned, "What do you mean?"

Ren didn't answer. Kyoko narrowed her eyes and pulled away from his embrace.

"Tell me whatever you are hiding. Or else forget you ever knew me."

Ren pursed his lips, looking at her. She looked even more beautiful with her hair tied into a bun, and the moon reflecting back on her.

He wanted to kiss her now more than anything. He felt the need to crush her in his embrace, kissing her senselessly. But he controlled himself, because he didn't want to scare her.

He sighed as she continued to look at him defiantly.

"Alright, but you have to accept those clothes."

Kyoko hesitated, frowning. After a few minutes of staring at the clothes behind her, she finally agreed.

He gestured her to sit beside her, as he recounted the events that took place during his four day journey. Somewhere in between, Kyoko had started stroking his head.

She took it better than he expected her to. They stayed silent as he finished telling her about his meeting with Saena. He didn't mention that her father figured Ren's feelings out and that Ren had encouraged him to go and find his first wife.

"Why did you go and investigate about my past?" Kyoko asked after stretched comfortable silence.

"You were on TV and newspapers, and they were searching for you restlessly," Ren replied, as he squeezed her hand gently.

"No, that it is not the reason, tell me, why did you go and search my parents? Did you not trust my words? Did you think I was lying—"

"Kyoko, that's not tr—"

"Did you think I was joking? Was I so—"

"Just listen to—!"

"Was I a—"

He growled, as he pulled her hair and kissed her passionately.

**x-x-x**

"Saena, please forgive me, I really didn't mean it. I still love you and still want to spend my life with you. Please, come back home," Misanoi begged her, on his knees.

"After all these years, how could you expect me to come back to you? After what you did?"

"She took advantage of me, Saena. She didn't tell you the truth, she twisted the entire story!" He said frustrated.

Saena narrowed her eyes, "I still don't trust you, and I hate you!"

She walked away, fuming. How could he come back after all those lonely years and try to win back her affections? Suddenly when he realized that he had a daughter, he wanted her back.

As she stood angrily near the bus stop, she saw the woman whom she knew very well on news.

"I cannot believe he would do this to us," She cried. But Saena knew it was fake. She had seen her real tears to distinguish from the fake ones.

"Do you have any idea why he gave you divorce? And why he separated you from your only child?" The reporter asked.

The woman, wiping the tear shook her head pitifully.

Saena frowned, What happened?

"He said I was not worth it. He said he was bored of me, can you imagine that?"

Just like that, Saena felt like her sky was pulled back up. Suddenly, she knew that her ex-husband was innocent.

"He even used me to cheat on his wife, would you believe?"

Saena's eyes widened, shocked.

She started walking backwards, and then she ran back towards her first love.

**x-x-x**

Kyoko was frozen, her mind freezing like the ice. A delicious shiver ran through her body as he pulled her to him.

When they pulled away, Ren had his eyes closed with a painful expression.

"You mean _a lot _to me. And I only wanted you to be happy. When I heard that you were not an illegitimate child. I wanted you to know that. And also that you're mother wasn't heartless at all. I wanted you to lead a happy life when you get out of this place. I want you to overcome everything that has pulled you from enjoying your life."

Kyoko's heart felt warm and happy. She felt like she was cared, that Ren really cared about her. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but feel loved. She allowed herself to be cherished once.

Even though it hurt to know that he was doing his duty as an instructor.

**x-x-x**

"Mogami, you have to do this if you want to do the fear test. Unless, of course, you want to stay here forever," he said.

Kyoko gritted her teeth, controlling her annoyance. He seemed even more distant now when she managed to master the other three tasks she had been doing the past one month. and a couple of days. The weekends were excruciatingly long now that they created a wall on their own.

"Are you with me? Make sure you harness properly before launching yourself in the air. If you feel like you are being controlled by the wind, pull the lever," Ren instructed. He couldn't believe the days were being so long. He wished she would stop avoiding him, and just be rude and cranky and stubborn. He would've taken her lashing than her silence and polite behavior. He didn't want them to be like this, so far away yet so close.

"How many more tasks are left?" she asked him.

He frowned, looking through her tasks and then back at her.

"This is the last one, before..." he gulped, swallowing his despair, "before the year ends and the director directs the people they think are strong enough to face their troubles."

Kyoko nodded, not betraying any emotion. Before he could confront her of her strange behavior, she ran to the base of the mountain, where the directors were giving her parachutes for sky diving. Ren wondered if people are actually made to do extreme sports to enjoy or frighten them to death so they could see their fears as insignificant.

He watched as Kyoko climbed the mountain, feeling uneasy. This would be her first time going on the mountain and doing everything without the help of the director. The director would stay down and observe the people from down.

He did his sky diving easily, it was something he could do because of his light and streamlined body. But Kyoko was in the G for almost the three fourth of the year, only because she resisted for the few months without following their rules and breaking as many of them as possible until Ren managed to convince her by telling her stories of other people who had undergone the same things.

Ren stared at Kyoko as she launched herself into the sky. He watched as she screamed and get detached from the parachute. His heart dropped, and he ran towards the mountain. Kyoko was holding the parachute with one hand, dangling as the parachute threatened to leave her hand.

"Kyoko!" her heart skipped a beat as she looked down. Ren was standing right below her.

"Trust me, leave the handle!"

Kyoko shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt so scared, she just wanted to curl up cry herself to sleep.

"Kyoko, look at me, I won't let you fall. I promise."

She opened her eyes, looking down at her handsome instructor. She couldn't see his expression, but she could imagine it. Although the mountain was relatively smaller than other mountains she'd climbed, she still felt like she was falling from a ten story building.

She closed her eyes and let her hand loose.

And then she fell.

**x-x-x**

"Mr. Kidnapper, how is my dear son?" a female voice asked. Lory puffed the smoke from his lungs. Today he was a cowboy who was smoking from the pot. And he was surprised to get a call from his old friend.

"What do you really want to say, Julie."

"Has he been better? I haven't called since last year. My health is deteriorating. I must see him before I die."

Lory smiled, shaking his head. Julie would always say that. Last time, she told him she had cancer and she was dying in two months. When he'd first met her and Kuu Hizuri, he actually fell for her words. But as the years wore out, he had gotten used to it.

"Don't worry, you're son will come back to you soon."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have been observing him. He has changed, Mrs. Hizuri."

The line was silent for a long time, Lory thought they'd disconnected.

"What changed?"

He smiled, "You will see."

He disconnected the call before Julie blackmailed him into giving him the details. He turned and watched the girl fall from the sky, right into his arms.

Lory grinned, feeling so giddy and happy for the couple.

"You have healed, Koun. It's time for you to go home."

**x-x-x**

Kyoko didn't open her eyes, until he called her name out urgently.

"Are you alright?"

Kyoko stared into his worried eyes. She traced his jawline, letting her fingers linger on his lips. He sucked his breath in, holding it as he watched her stare at him blankly. His heart thumped painfully. He was so thankful that he was able to catch her before she felt. He carried her back to their room, gently laying her on the bed. She clung to him, shaking her head.

"Please..." she pleaded, her eyes begging him to give in. He complied and say down with her in his lap. She pushed herself up, kissing him.

Ren was so shocked, he didn't respond until she wound her hands around him a little too tightly. He snaked his hand around her waist, holding her close to him.

They pulled away, staring into each other's eyes.

Then she hugged him fiercely, sobbing on his shoulder.

"Kyoko, are you alright?" he asked urgently, worried about her well being.

She pulled away, not meeting his eyes.

"Should I get you something to eat or drink? Wait let—"

"Stay here with me, don't leave me, Ren. Please."

He was stunned. She'd never used his first name, and never begged him to stay with her. He nodded mutely, holding her close as she rested her head on his chest.

She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him. She thought she would never see him again, never see him smiling, laughing and smirking at her. She thought she would never hear him teasing her, or using her for comforting himself. She thought she'd never make food for him, never tell him how she felt about him.

"I love you, Ren. I love you so much, you have no idea at all."

Ren froze, as she hugged him even tighter, crying.

"I know you're doing your job, but I couldn't help but fall in love with you. It's okay if you don't feel the same, I just wanted to tell you, and I don't want anything from you. Please don't leave me alone," she whispered so softly, he almost didn't hear anything she said.

He gently pushed her away from his chest, his heart hammering against his chest. Ren forced her to stare into her eyes.

"I was not doing my job. My job was to comfort you. But instead you comforted me in ways I could not explain. I used you to make me food," she shook her head, denying it, "I never told you anything about myself when you deserved to know. I only used you for my own personal needs."

Kyoko kept shaking her head, denying it.

"Yet, I couldn't help loving you. I didn't know that I was in love, until I went out in the world and realized just how much I needed. I needed your warmth and care. I needed your presence to drive me from driving myself insane. I needed you to help over come my fears. But Kyoko, I never would leave you alone if that's what you want. I promise you I would be there when you need me."

Kyoko's body was shaking, but her eyes were shining. She wanted this dream to last, so she could treasure it. She wanted him to tell her outright that he was just telling all that to comfort her.

But when he kissed her passionately, she for once accepted.

Accepted that she was allowed to feel happy.

**x-x-x**

The following month was hectic for Ren. He had to secure appointments, talk to the directors and take their reports to submit to the other department that dealt with fears. He had to make sure Kyoko's name was registered there as the required number of tasks were completed.

She was finally going to do sky diving for the last time, and then she would be free for the rest of the weekend. He smiled as he thought about them. Nothing seemed to have changed between them, but something definitely had changed. They were more comfortable around each other. Although Kyoko seemed to be more shy around him, he didn't mind. He liked her better when she was blushing.

And now that the deadline was racing faster than either of them would have liked, but that was a topic they both silently avoided.

He reviewed all the things as he watched Kyoko launch herself into the sky.

"CORN!"

He grinned, although nobody would know what it would mean, he knew that this was her way of telling him that she was loving it.

He just hoped that nothing would go wrong.

**x-x-x**

Kyoko took a deep breath, opening her eyes again. This time she was back again in the same house. When she found him stumbling inside completely drunk. She didn't feel so overwhelmed by the situation although it did send a sense of deja vu.

Kyoko smiled, approaching him. The guy didn't say anything. But as soon as she walked past him, not even turning back, the projection changed.

This time she was walking in the alleyway, the dark one where those thugs resided. Although it did shake her up a bit, she didn't feel traumatized by it. She ignored the alleyway, walking as confidently as possible. But when a guy put his hand on her shoulder, she pushed her foot on his thigh and pulled him over her shoulder.

As the projection went black, everyone around her clapped their hands.

A director came to her, "Miss Mogami, we have a last test. It is completely optional, but you can do it if you'd like. Only your instructor would see your fears."

Kyoko opened her mouth to answer, but an ear splitting scream stopped her from saying anything.

"Kyoko!"

Her heart dropped, she knew whose voice that was. She ran without saying anything to the director. It didn't even occur to her that her instructor wasn't with her. She couldn't believe she was such a dufus.

She saw a door wide open, with people crowded till inside. She pushed her way inside and ran beside Ren. He was staring at the ground, but when she hugged him, he squeezed her in his embrace.

"Kyoko, you're here," he whispered. She glared at the other people, and they scrambled out, not wanting to get on her bad side.

It was only them in the room, as Ren calmed himself down.

"Let's go, I'm done for the day anyway," Kyoko said.

And together they walked back to their room.

**x-x-x**

Ren told her about his past, no longer scared what she'd think about him. All the while, she kept stroking his hair, listening to him attentively, not saying anything.

When his voice cracked, she hugged him. He completed telling her just as it turned eight in the night.

He told her about his past in two hours, everything from the time he joined street gangs and got into a fight with a guy only to be chased by Rick and be covered with blood.

When he was done, he closed his eyes, drowning himself into self-hate, guilt, anger, regret and melancholy—

"No, don't." Kyoko said, pulling his head closer to her heart.

"But I killed him, he is de—"

"He isn't dead because of you, Ren. He sacrificed himself to save you. And you have to honour that. If you kill yourself, he would be disappointed. Then his would mean nothing. He died for nothing. You must be happy for him. He helped you, tried to make you feel happy. And you should honour that. Don't. You are much better than loathing yourself," She held his cheek and made him look at her, "Let it go, Corn."

He exhaled, closing his eyes.

_I'm sorry. _

**x-x-x**

As the alarm went off at twelve o clock in the night, neither of them moved. Suddenly, Ren remembered something.

He got up from Kyoko's lap, hurriedly going over to his bedside table. He pulled a large rose from inside it.

He gave it to Kyoko.

"Happy birthday, Kyoko."

She blushed, opening her mouth to protest but he held his hand up.

"The rose where Princess Rosa "came out" from is named "Queen Rosa", which originated from England. The legend is about an English royal family ages ago. There was a queen who was beautiful as the big, enormous rose so she was called "Queen of Rosa". The queen had a young daughter, who looked beautiful as the queen.

The princess was loved by everyone so she was called "Princess of Rosa". Then one day, the princess got into an accident and was summoned by the God in heavens. The queen cried almost everyday at the place where the princess passed away and there, a single rose bloomed.

In the center of the large-blooming rose, there was a crystal who looked just like the princess."

Kyoko's eyes were shining as he finished the story. She was sighing and dreaming. He laughed, telling her to sleep when he lied down and slept. He kept his eyes slightly open, to look at her reaction.

Kyoko picked the enormously large rose and replaced it in the vase with other flowers. As she dropped the rose in the vase, she heard a clanging sound.

Hanging right below, was princess Rosa.

Ren smiled as she gasped. He closed his eyes as she took the tear dropped gem in her hand.

He hoped she would like his gift that he'd given slyly.

**x-x-x **

"So, what did your charge learn from you?"

Ren scowled, glaring at the old man.

"You knew about her, and you also deliberately put her under me, right? You knew we knew each other from before."

At that dialogue Lory's smile faded. He frowned thoughtfully.

"You had met before? How come I didn't know?"

Ren sighed in relief, so it means he didn't know. Then he frowned again.

"Then why did you pair us up together?"

Lory shrugged.

"It is a rule to assign the instructor of the a group to the charge of the same group. And I found that she wasn't interested in men like the women here. She had her own unique story. And you, didn't look at appearances. So I just played your favorite Eros and bang! You both are my favorite couple."

He was dreamy eyed again, making Ren roll his eyes.

Suddenly, the atmosphere became serious and Lory was no longer carefree and playful.

"Koun, you have been here for four years now. Are you really ready to leave?"

Ren took a deep breath, knowing his answer. He knew that although it hurt, it was for the best.

"I should leave. Today."

**x-x-x**

"Kyoko!"

She turned, finding him running towards her. He had a nervous look in his eyes.

"What did they tell you, Ren?" she asked softly.

He first kissed her, slowly, remembering how she felt the first time.

"I have to leave today. As soon as possible."

Kyoko felt something cold being dropped in her heart. She would be all alone, although they didn't tell her yet. She was going to meet Lory in the evening before dinner. But she tried to feel happy for him. He was finally going out of this place. He had finally healed. But she couldn't. She couldn't feel happy about it. She felt like someone was snatching her life from her. She managed to give him an encouraging smile.

"That's great! When will you be leaving? Tell your father hello from my side,—"

"Kyoko."

His voice, although soft stopped her from ranting. She knew that he would anyways shut her up somehow.

"I love you. I love you more than anything. I love you and nothing can compare to it. So don't. It hurts to separate from you just as much as it hurts you. But we have to. I can't force you to stay here. And whatever decision you make, I will be there for you. But I also know, that if I decide to stay here, you would stay too even if they declare you fine. And I want you to be selfish."

Kyoko started crying, and he embraced her, letting her cry in his chest. He kissed her hair, confessing as many times as he could.

They sat and talked the entire time till she had to go and meet Lory.

"Take care of yourself, Kyoko. Don't stay up all night. Don't cry all night. When you need help, _ask. _Don't take everything on you—"

"Koun, I'll be fine. And I am going to miss you so much."

He stopped ranting, staring into her beautiful golden eyes once more. He tried to convince himself that he was doing the right thing by going back. He had an urge to stay here, marry her and never leave her all alone to deal with those idiotic men who tried to stare at her in an inappropriate way. But he had to do this. For both of their sake.

"I love you Koun." she told him, before going out. She took a deep breath and walked to the office.

Ren stared at her one last time before he shouldered his back and left to the portal.

**x-x-x**

"Miss Mogami, you have changed a lot," Lory said, pouring himself some wine. He was still calm and composed, as if he hadn't spoken to other people from black group.

She nodded nervously. "It's all because of you, sir. And I will be forever grateful to you for helping me overcome my problems." she bowed really low to show her gratitude.

He chuckled, "I can see why Koun loved you so much, you are such a sweet girl!"

He sighed, "I can't believe he's gone already. I had already grown to have him scowling around!"

Kyoko gave him an awkward smile as he let a full blown laugh.

He calmed down, looking deadly serious, almost grim. "I'm afraid that you have no choice now."

Her heart dropped. Did it mean she wasn't healed?

"You must leave by the end of December."

And then she fainted with relief.

* * *

_On 31 December_

* * *

Kyoko took a deep breath and pushed the button of the portal. She kept the clothes Koun had gotten for her. Since Koun had forgiven himself, she started calling him Koun because Ren was only an image for other people to think he was a normal unaffected man when in reality he was broken. Now that he had accepted the fact, she felt that he can now embrace his old name and move on.

She still thought about him, and it had only been three days since he left. She wondered if he ate properly, or slept without getting up in the middle of the night. Then she would smack herself. It hadn't been three years! God!

Kyoko stepped out of the circle and saw it go down.

She looked around her, then froze, her heart dropping in her stomach.

There were two people standing in front of her, whom she desperately wanted to look after her.

And they were holding hands.

They were smiling at her as if she were a blessing.

"Kyoko, our precious daughter!"

And then she fainted.

Well, Koun would be glad when he would hear about that.

* * *

_After one month_

* * *

Kyoko was reading a book in the library. She only wanted to be left alone, not attended to every minute of the day. But she understood why her parents did what they did. They were guilty for making her suffer so much. Although she told them that she'd forgiven them, they still felt like they needed to make up for all the time they lost together.

"Sister, they are searching for you."

Kyoko jumped, almost knocking the two books placed on the table.

"Hiou, softly! Or else someone will find us out!" Kyoko chided him as quietly as she could. Hiou grinned.

Hiou was her step brother, the son of the woman who fell in love with Misanoi. He had never liked his mother, she never treated him the way other mothers would treat their children. He was technically her age, but he insisted calling her sister. Since she didn't want to hurt his feelings, she accepted. For the first few days, he made her life as hellish as possible. But when he found out about her staying in a place to heal herself, and also what she'd gone through, he decided he would stop being a jerk and treat her kindly. And then after a few more days, he loved her more than anything. She was the coolest sister in the world!

"Kyoko! You have a guest!" she stood on her feet, frowning.

Kyoko closed the book she was reading and crept out of her hiding spot, and revealed herself in the receiving hall. Her father was smiling some guy, nodding his head as he spoke. As she came closer, she stopped dead in her tracks staring at him.

"Kyoko, this gentleman wants to talk to you. Why don't you show him around? I'm sure he would love the gardens," Misanoi said, almost too excited.

He had emerald green eyes that sparkled once in a while, and pure gold blonde hair that shone in the tube light. He smiled at her heavenly, holding his hand out.

"Will you?"

Unmistakably, it was him. His voice, his face and his body were the same.

She nodded her head mutely, unable to say anything.

For an entire month, she was wishing he was there with her, wishing that he would be there beside her. And now that he was there, alive, breathing and not a fragment of her imagination, she didn't know what to say.

He took her hand in his and they both strolled outside the gates, without sharing a word.

"How—"

"Are you fine?"

She stopped whatever she was going to say after the question tag, staring at him. He dropped all pretense, as if he knew that she knew who he was. And she didn't want to pretend anyway.

She gave him a small smile, almost in tears. She shook her head, making his face fall.

"I'm not. How could I be? When you weren't there to comfort me, how could I be fine?" she said, hitting his chest. He pulled her in his chest, breathing her scent as she breathed his manly scent. They pulled away as Koun smiled at her heavenly.

"Then do you want to share the rest of your life with me?"

She blanched, not expecting that in a million years.

Koun waited patiently for her answer.

"Koun I—"

"I can wait if you want, I will wait forever. I know you just reconciled with your parents. But I can't rest easily thinking that you could move on from me. I have fallen way too deeply in love to actually forget what we had."

She started to cry as she nodded.

"Yes, I want to be there for you for the rest of my life!" she affirmed, kissing him as she swung her arms around his neck.

He laughed as he caught her arms and pulled the ring from his pocket.

When they pulled away, he slid the black stoned ring into her finger, symbolizing the time they spent together. Kyoko understood what black meant. It was the color of their group. And she was glad he chose that color.

However, Koun didn't tell her that their weddings rings were real expensive diamonds.

The rest is history, after all, locul de vindecare was supposed to make you stronger. But remember, that life isn't easy.

If it was, there would be no purpose, no meaning in our life. We wouldn't be what we are today. And most importantly, Kyoko wouldn't have met Koun at all.

_**The End. **_

* * *

_**Author's note: **_

_**Hello guys! I'm so sorry for the delay! This fic took me four days to complete. I lost it almost three times already and had to rewrite it again and again until I could write ahead. **_

_**This is the longest chapter I have ever written, 15,000 words! Can you imagine?**_

_**I think I have lost my touch a little, because I can see a lot of difference in my english in other fics and this one that I wrote. I am trying to work on that, hope I can catch up. **_

_**Anyway, my holidays end on Sunday, and so I will not be there. **_

_**And I will try to write a fic on Yashiro and Kanae in this time that I have. Forgive me if it isn't what you expected it to be. **_

_**Thank you and goodbye! **_


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